Pilate said to them, "Take Him and crucify Him, for I find no fault in Him." The Jews answered him, "We have the law, and according to our law he must die, because he made himself the Son of God."

Pilate, hearing this word, was more afraid; And he went back into the praetorium, and said to the Lord Jesus, Where art thou from? But the Lord Jesus did not give him an answer. Pilate said to Him, "Do you not answer me? Do you not know that I have power to crucify you, and I have power to let you go? The Lord Jesus answered, "You would have no authority over Me, unless it had been given to you from above; therefore greater sin is on him who delivered me to you.

From that time on, Pilate sought to let Him go. And the Jews cried out, "If thou wilt let Him go, thou art no friend of Caesar." Everyone who makes himself a king is an opponent of Caesar.

226. The Passion of the Lord: A Condemnatory Sentence

Mf. 27, 24-26;

Mk. 15, 15;

Lux. 23, 25;

In. 19, 13-16.

When Pilate heard this word, he brought the Lord Jesus out and sat down in the judgment seat, in a place called Lythostroton,31 or in Hebrew Gabbatha.

Then was the Friday before the Passover, and the sixth hour.

And Pilate said to the Jews, Behold, your King! But they cried out, "Take, take, crucify Him!" Pilate said to them, "Shall I crucify your king? And the chief priests answered, We have no king but Caesar.

Pilate, seeing that nothing helped, but the agitation increased, took some water, and having washed his hands before the people, said, "I am innocent of the blood of this righteous one; See for yourself. And all the people answered him, saying, His blood be upon us and on our children.

Then at last Pilate, wishing to do what was pleasing to the people, delivered the Lord to their will, to be crucified.

227. Procession to Golgotha